Dolls are well known in the prior art that exhibit changeable facial features. For example, a doll with an envelope for a photo image face is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,020,586 (Benner) wherein a doll is provided with a pocket located in a facial zone to receive a photographic likeness of a person to personalize the doll.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,929,213 (Morgan) discloses a method of creating images such as the face of a child on flexible foam plastic such as a doll's head. It is further disclosed that the method can also be used to create images of other objects such as pet animals with the head on a separate piece of foam attachable to the body in different tilted positions by means of Velcro.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,224 (Gintling) discloses a doll having a pocket secured to a face portion of the doll for displaying a photograph. The doll includes a doll body and a doll head with a pocket which may include a releasable sealing closure such that the photograph may be sealed within the pocket. Releasable fabric fasteners may be utilized to secure the pocket to the face portion, whereby the pocket may be selectively removed to facilitate both a reversing of the pocket and a washing of the doll.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,900 (Hodge) discloses a stuffed doll or toy that includes a main body section from which a plurality of appendages extend, representative of arms and legs. A displaceable panel or layer is shiftably attached to the fabric of the main body section and may include representations of facial features. Separable fastener elements such as hook and loop components serve to attach the displaceable panel and intermediate layers in a closed position flush with the main body section.
The dolls disclosed in the prior art suffer in that they do not provide a natural appearance of the likeness which is affixed to the doll. As such, a need exists in the art for a plaything such as a doll, a stuffed animal, a novelty item, and the like that can have a likeness of, for example, a child, affixed thereto which provides a natural appearance.